Sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines



w. k; ECKHARD I SHEET FEE-DING MECHANISM FOR PRiNTING MACHINES March 23,1937.

- 2 Sheets Shee't 1 Fiied March 15, 1933 March 23, 1937.

w. K. ECKHARD 2,074,720 I SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed Marc 1: 15, 1953 2 Sheets- Sheet 2" mvzuroa M21 266 M Y fzw Patented M... 23, 1937 UNITED STATES SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES William K. Eckhard, Dunellen, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to R. Hoe & 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 15, 1933, Serial No. 660,812

10 Claims.

This invention relates to registering mechanism for printing machines adapted to print on sheet metal, pasteboard and similar materials, having for its object the provision of an improved sheet. registering mechanism which will insure the correction of any misalignment which may occur to a sheet before being presented to the grippers of an impression cylinder.

' Another object is to provide in sheet registering mechanism of the character indicated, means for guiding the front edge of a sheet and presenting it in proper alignment to the grippers on the impression cylinder, so that the front or leading edge of the sheet is advanced parallel to the axes of the plate and impression cylinders of the mechanism, the grippers then acting upon the sheet to clamp it in accurate register and finally to thrust same between the plate and impression cylinders while maintaining the said sheet in accurate register.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a sheet registering mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of'parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 40 Figure 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of a printingmachine with its front frame removed and with certain of the transverse members in cross section, showing a sheet engaged by the novel sheet aligning mechanism forming the principal feature of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar toFigure 1, showing the sheet in the position in which it is engaged by the grippers and disengaged by the sheet aligning members;

broken away, as seen in the direction of the arrow 3 of Figure 1, showing one side of the machine and one of the sheet aligning members, which latter is duplicated on the other side o; the ma 55 chine;

Figure 3 is an elevational view, with parts Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2, partly in section, looking in the direction of the arrow; and

Figure 5 is a'transverse sectional view, taken on line 5--5 of Figure 4, as seen in the direction of the arrow, showing certain details of construction.

Referring now to the drawings; II designates the frame of a printing machine having cross members I I and II" and I2 a supporting surface or table adjustably fastened in any suitable manner to the lower brace member II" and over which sheets I3 travel or are pushed, as hereinafter described.

On the frame II, plate and impression cylinders I4, I5 respectively are rotatably mounted, the cylinder I5 having grippers I6 provided with adjustable registering faces or stops I! which engage the front edge of the sheet.

The grippers I6 are fastened to a shaft I8 and are operated by a cam I9 secured to the frame I I. The cam I9 coacts with a roller 2| carried on an arm 22 also secured to the shaft I8.

The front guides or sheet aligning members which form an important feature of the present invention, each comprises a bracket or plate 23 adjustably secured to the brace member II. A cam plate 23. is fastenedto the bracket 23, the cam plate 23 having a slot 24 formed with an upwardly directed or cam portion as at 25 for a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

A shoe or slider 26 riding on the cam plate 23' has two pins 21, 28, the former of which serves as a pivot for an element hereinafter described. A

crank member 29 pivoted on the pin 21 has a stud 3| engaged in the slot 24 and is also provided with a reciprocating guide or sheet aligning member 32 having a hooked end 33 forming a sheet abutment which directly engages a sheet I3 as the latter is thrust forward by the sheet pushing means mentioned below. The said hook 33 of the sheet aligningmember' 32, as will be seen by the details set forth hereinafter, serves as a reciprocating abutment against which the advancing sheet is first aligned and then confined between same and the sheet pusher means of the mechanism, the said sheet then being advanced so that its leading edge will be pushed forward in parallelism with the axes of the plate and impression cylinders.

An upper portion 34 of the pivoted crank member 29 has secured thereto one end of a stem 34 slidably supported at another end on an extension or lug formed. on the slider 26. On the stem 34', a spring 35isarranged, the spring 35 being confined between the upper portion 34 of the pivoted crank member 29 and the extension of the slider I tened to the hub 5| mentioned above.

2 6, and exerting a pressure tending to turn the said crank member in a counterclockwise direction. A link 36 is pivotally connected by the pin 28 to the slider 26, and is also hinged to an arm 3'! which is adjustably fastened to another arm 31' secured to a shaft 38, supported in bearing brackets 20, joined to the brace member II and having keyed or otherwise suitably secured thereto a lever arm 39 to which an upper end of a link 4| is plvotally connected. The lower end of the link 4| is pivotally secured to an extension 42 of a bell crank lever 43 pivoted to the front frame I I, as shown in Figure 3, and acted upon by a springpressed plunger indicated generally at 44 which is slidably supported in a post 44' secured to the frame II. The bell crank lever 43 has a roller 45 which is engaged with a cam 46 secured to a hub 5| fastened to the main shaft 41, the normal action of the plunger 44 tending to turn the crank lever 43 in a counterclockwise direction and, consequently, to force the roller 45 into engagement with the cam 46. The cam 46 is provided with slots 46' in which ride bolts 49 that are fas- The said slots 46' and bolts 49 permit the turning or adjustment of the cam 46 relatively to the hub 5|, thereby advancing or retarding the action or position of the sheet aligning mechanism.

The pusher means indicated generally by the number 48, a pair of which are customarily employed for moving forward the sheets, may be of the type shown in patent of Eckhard for Sheet feeding mechanism No. 1,888,659, dated November 22, 1932, and in patent to, Hunting, No. 1,941,093, dated December 26, 1933, for Sheet feeding mechanism for printing machines, and need not be described in detail here.

It is to be understood that the sheet-aligning assembly forming the feature of the present invention and denoted generally by the reference character A is duplicated at each side of the frame, each assembly being operatively connected to the shaft 38 in the manner illustrated.

The step by step progress of a sheet by the conveying mechanism of the printing mechanism before reaching the pushers 48 may be of the general character described in the above-referred to patents of Eckhard and Hunting and need not be set forth in detail here.

After the sheet has been carried forward to a point adjacent the pusher means 48, the latter rise up behind the rear edge of the sheet and engages same thereby pushing same forward over the table I2 until it is engaged by the hooks or abutments 33 of the reciprocating sheet aligning members 32 prior to engagement with the gripper means I6 of the impression cylinder I5. The said sheet I3 will now advance forward while engaged at its trailing end by the spring pressed pushers 48, and at its leading end by the hooks of the reciprocating sheet aligning members 32 mentioned above until the faces or stops ll of the grippers I6 on the impression cylinder I5 engage the leading end of the sheet, the said sheet aligning members 32 then withdrawing from the sheet as the grippers.

Figures 1 and 2 show the progressive position of a sheet after being engaged and moved along in proper alignment by the pushers 48 and the front guide or sheet aligning members together. It will be observed that in Figure 1 the stud 3| of the spring biased crank member 29 has completed its movement to the right in the slot 24, the roller 45 of the spring pressed crank eve .3 no

abutting against the extremity of the depressed area of the cam 46 which through the instrumentality of the other coacting parts including links 4| and 39, shaft 38, arm 31, link 36 and the reciprocating slider 26 to the crank member 29 is hinged, will have moved the sheet aligning member 32 to the position shown in Figure 1 where it is operative to engage and preliminarily register a sheet I3. In Figure 2, the roller 45 has passed on to the raised portion of the cam 46, thereby moving the coacting parts and, consequently, the

crank member 29 to the left, the stud 3| of the said crank member 29 meanwhile having passed into the upwardly directed portion 25 of the slot 24 thereby angling upwardly the sheet aligning member 32 and disengaging the hooked end or abutment 33 of the aligning member from the sheet I3 as the grippers I6 engage same. By the provision of the said sheet aligning mechanism in accordance with the present invention, it is to be noted the front edge of the sheet, and consequently, the sheet itself, if advancing misaligned, will be correctly aligned by the sheet aligning members 32 as it is being pushed forward by the pushing mechanism, and then held in proper alignment until engaged with the gripper stops IT. The grippers then press back on the sheet and the reciprocating abutments or sheet aligning members rise out of the way. This correcting action of the sheet aligning members 32 insures the advancing of the front or leading edge of the sheet until it is engaged by the registering faces I! of the grippers I6. During the forward movement of the sheet towards the plate and impression cylinders, the sheet pusher means 48 may travel at substantially the same rate as the sheet aligning members 32 for a distance equal to the length of the straight portion of the slot 24, the movement of the pusher means and sheet aligners being timed so that the sheet I3 will overtake the gripper faces II. By inspection of Figure 2, it will be seen that the sheet pusher means 48 has continued to advance the sheet I3 and press same against the registering faces or stops I! of the sheet grippers, after the withdrawal of the sheet aligning members 32, the rate of travel of the spring pressed pushers 48 now being slightly'in excess of the grippers I6 which at the moment are turning with the cam actuated gripper shaft I8 in a direction opposite to that of the cylinder I I whereon the shaft I8 is arranged.

It will be seen that the mechanism herein disclosed provides means for guiding the front edge of the sheet and presenting it in proper alignment to the grippers on the impression cylinder, the grippers then acting upon the sheet to clamp it in perfect register and thus produce printing of a high quality. It will also be observed that as a consequence of the aligning action of the said means, the forward edge of the sheet will be advanced parallel to the axes of the impression and plate cylinders.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illus trative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a sheet registering mechanism for a machine having cylinders adapted to print on relatively stiff material, means engaging the sheet on t t ai n edee toi'u se for dc plu ality: 10f: reciprocating abutments} adapted ,to simultan'e; ously engage theforward edgewofatheksheet and hold it-parallel withthe axes.;of= the;- cylinders; and means for regulatingqthe operation ofqthe abutments so I that they may engage with and be disengaged from theforward edge pf the sheet at various predetermined times. s

2. In a sheet registering mechanism for a machinehaving;cylindersfradapted to print on relatively stiff material, means engaging the sheet on its trailing edge to urge it forward, a plurality of reciprocating abutments adapted to simultaneously engage the forward edge of the sheet and hold it parallel with longitudinal axes of the cylinders, and means for variably timing the action of the reciprocating abutments so that they may be engaged with and disengaged from the forward edge of the sheet at various predetermined times.

3. In sheet feeding mechanism for a printing machine, including printing cylinders having sheet grippers, a track adapted tosupport a sheet and sheet pushers arranged to travel over said track and directly engaging the trailing edge of I said sheet; a member reciprocatingly mounted on said machine, a sheet engaging abutment hinged to said member, and means for variably controlling the action of the member so that the movement of the abutment may be timed to engage at a predetermined position on said track, the front edge of the sheet being thrust forward by the sheet pushers, said abutment then moving out of engagement with the front edge of the sheet when said grippers engage the sheet.

4. In sheet feeding mechanism for a printing machine, including printing cylinders having sheet gripping means, a track adapted to support a sheet, and sheet pushers, arranged to travel over said track and directly engage the trailing edge of said sheet; a member recipro-catingly mounted on and bodily movable relatively to said machine, a plurality of sheet engaging members hinged to said first mentioned member, and

means for controlling the movement of the sheet engaging member so that said sheet will be preliminarily engaged and aligned by the sheet engaging members, said sheet engaging members then moving uninterruptedly forward in step with said sheet pushers and guiding said sheet forwardly toward said printing cylinders in proper alignment therewith to a point where said sheet grippers engage the sheet, said sheet engaging members then withdrawing from the sheet while the sheet gripping means guide the said sheet operatively between the said printing cylinders.

5. In a printing machine of the class describe-d having printing and impression cylinders provided with sheet gripping means, sheet pusher means, a feed table adapted to support a sheet and coactable with said grippers and pusher means, said pusher means directly contacting the trailing edge of said sheet, the combination with said cylinders, grippers, feed table and pusher means, of a member directly coactable and uninterruptedly moving forward with said pusher means for engaging leading and trailing ends of the sheet whereby said sheet may be conveyed over the feed table so that the front edge of the sheet may be maintained in proper alignment relatively to the printingand impression cylinders preparatory to engagement with the grippers, said gripping means engaging said sheet at a predetermined time preparatory to guiding same between the saidprinting and impression cylinders, and

' camrxactuated :means; for vari ly t min atria-11 interrupted: movement: of the saidmember.

6,- Ina device, of the character described hav-, ingprinting cylinders-provided withsheet grippers,; aggfeedntable coactable withusaid grippers,

and-pusher means; adapted ,to engage-the trailin edge of "and, thrust forwardly, the lineiof. progress a-lsheet;jdepositedv on. said tabla-said pusher means, acting to thrust a sheet forwardly into ;engagement Withlqil rreciprocating member mounted on and bodily movable relatively to said device, said member and pushing means, then uninterruptedly advancing forwardly together to convey said sheet in a forward direction, said grippers engaging the forward edge of said sheet at a predetermined position on the feed table while said reciprocating member is disengaging from the sheet.

7. In sheet feeding mechanism of the character described having printing instrumentalities, sheet pushing means and sheet gripper means; the combination with the sheet pushing and sheet gripper means, of a plurality of sheet aligning members movably mounted on reciprocating means secured to the mechanism and coactable with the sheet pushing means to operatively engage and correctly align a leading edge of said sheet, said pushing means being in direct contact with the trailing edge of the sheet, a rotary carrier, a cam adjustably mounted on said carrier and connected to said reciprocating means for variably moving the sheet aligning members to disengage same fro-m said sheet, said gripper means then engaging the said leading edge of the sheet and drawing same in a forward direction into the printing instrumentalities.

8. In a printing machine having plate and impression cylinders, the combination with sheet feeding mechanism having a reciprocating pusher device, sheet gripping means and a track for the pusher device, said track being adapted to support a sheet; of a sheet aligning member reciprocatingly mounted on said feeding mechanism and timed to coact with said pusher device in first aligning a sheet thrust forward by the pusher device and then moving forward with the pusher device while the trailing edge and the leading edge of the sheet is confined between the said pusher device and the said sheet aligning member, said sheet being advanced to a point where the sheet gripping means engages the sheet and the draws same forwardly between said plate and impression cylinders in correct alignment for accurate printing, and means including a rotating adjustable cam for variably moving the sheet aligning member to engage with and be disengaged from the leading edge of the sheet at various predetermined times.

9. In a sheet registering mechanism for a machine having cylinders adapted. to print on relatively stiff material, means engaging the sheet on its trailing edge to urge it forward, a plurality of reciprocating abutments adapted to simultaneously engage the forward edge of the sheet and hold it parallel with longitudinal axes of the cylinders, members secured to the mechanism, slots formed in the members, said slots having cam portions, shoes riding in said slots and pivotally connected to said abutments, and means for variably timing the action of the reciprocating abutments so that they may be engaged with and disengaged from the forward edge of the sheet at various predetermined times.

10. In sheet feeding mechanism for a printing machine having a, printing cylinder provided with sheet gripping means, a track adapted to support a sheet, and a pusher arranged to travel over said track and adapted to abut against the trailing edge of the sheet and urge said sheet forwardly; a member reciprocatingly mounted on said machine, sheet aligning mechanism connected to said member and adapted to engage a. front edge of the sheet thrust forward by the 10 Pusher, said sheet aligning mechanism maintaining the front edge of the sheet in correct alignment relatively to the printing cylinders and moving uninterruptedly forward with said sheet until same is engaged with the sheet gripping means, and means for advancing or retarding the time of engagement of the sheet aligning mechanism relatively to the front edge of the sheet. 

